First Touch
by Labrynth
Summary: How did it start in the Red Room?


He had come to check on her. The man who spent his time beating her into a pulp on a daily basis. Pushed her to her breaking point over and over again. Now though, now she had learned and he had to work harder for it. Now she won on occasion when she'd had no hope of it before. Today had been brutal however. They had battled until her muscles quivered and she could barely lift her arms above her head. Until she had been nearly unable to do the simple walk back to her room. Driven to a state of exhaustion by his constant attacks, muscles in a jelly like state.

It was for her own good. That was actually something she agreed with. Retreat wasn't always possible and no quarter would be given from her enemies. No reprieves to rest and gather her strength. Still... all she wanted to do was collapse into a ball and not move for a week. Not that it would be an option. They might leave her alone until tomorrow, but then it would start all over again.

Natalia had shown the most promise. Thus, they put the most effort into her. She did not get a day off like the other girls. She was constantly under scrutiny from them all. Looking for signs of weakness. Indications she wasn't the best. Reasons to pay her back for Taras' death. Right now they owned her and she accepted that.

Winter Soldier had never come to check on her before. No, he had remained almost completely stoic in their interactions. Only a handful of times did she register any emotion from him and in those, she was never sure how to define it. He pushed her, forced her to improve, to change, adapt. That's what he was there for. But sometimes she felt his eyes on her and there was something that moved across his face she couldn't explain.

Did he feel the same thing she did? Did his heart skip a beat in his chest? Did he feel his stomach drop at the sight of her? Did he feel a tingle down his spine when she got close enough to touch? Feel that jolt of electric shock when their skin met?

No, she highly doubted it. He wasn't _allowed_ to feel much of anything. It didn't matter though. She had a goal. They had given Ivan his life and she would finish this. Finish it and leave, just as she had before. By then nothing would stop her. _They_ couldn't stop her. Their own training demands would see to that.

He said nothing at first when she opened the door, just studied her battered form standing there in a nightgown, a full minute until he finally asked to come in. Natalia had stepped aside, frowning, unsure what was happening. Why was he here?

"Ribs," he said, as if that answered everything. Maybe it did. She had at least one that was possibly broken. Nothing to be done for it though. It would heal on it's own eventually, taking longer because there would be no reprieve for that. Then she noticed the bindings in his artificial hand. The only real thing that could be done for ribs, bind them tightly so they couldn't move.

"Sore," she answered as she swung the door shut behind him, still unsure of what was happening. There was a static charge in the air she could feel, skimming across her skin.

They had both showered, his hair was still damp, curling slightly in the back. His earthy scent as familiar to her as her own. The wetness from the shower magnified it and she felt it wrap around her like a well worn blanket. She had been surrounded in that smell so often these last few weeks as they waged battle against one another. Breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard. Looking up at him through lashes she wondered why he was here now. Just binding for her ribs? No, he had never showed that kind of motivation about her health before. Something else was happening.

When he turned to look at her, she leaned back against the door, feeling pinned somehow by his gaze. Then he was there, in front of her, his real hand reaching up to touch the side of her face. His expression inscrutable, eyes dropping to her mouth.

His touch sent a shiver down her body she couldn't stop, aggravating the ribs he had damaged. Caused her to stop breathing, just for a moment. Electric charge building between them as it never had before. The look he was giving her mouth reached inside of her, pulling at her core in a sensation she had never felt before. Was this what the girls whispered about? Had been talking bout when they thought no one was listening since he had showed up? Giggled about while they changed? Had he touched any of them like this?

"You're not like the others." It was a statement, not a question.

Pride hitched her chin up a notch, a challenge. "Good."

A flicker of a smile at that. No, she wasn't like the others. She wasn't frivolous, worried about how she looked or a bruise would make her less pretty. Or intimidated by _any_ of them, meeting each challenge head on. Or any of the other things that so many of the other girls were. She gave him back every ounce of pain and fight he dished out to her. There was a fire in her that burned brightly. A _need_ to surpass all of them.

Eyes still on her lips, he licked his own, voice halting. "You are the exception." He leaned forward and now he was so close she could feel the body heat radiating off him. There was that kick in her belly again. A slow smolder inside of her that was threatening to burn out of control. Closer, his hand cupped her face, thumb stroked her cheek, lips a breath away from her own.

It was then she realized she wanted him to kiss her. Wanted him to touch her. Where it came from, she didn't know. There hadn't been a man yet she wanted to be touched by. Had never found one who did this to her. Made her feel some kind of desire for him.

She was growing wet. Natalia could feel it gathering between her legs, feel her nipples hardening against the thin cotton nightgown hanging on her frame, as if his heat were pulling them up and towards him.

"How did you do it?" he asked, still close enough to kiss but not quite touching her.

Confused she frowned, not understanding what he was asking. Hands clutched at the faded fabric she wore, balling it up into her fists. "Do what?" Had she hurt him somehow and didn't know it? Had she somehow gotten him into trouble? Had she done something wrong?

The words were slow when he answered. "Make me feel." But he didn't allow her to answer before his mouth was on hers. Tentative at first, feeling her out.

Fire poured into her body at the touch of his mouth on hers, a whimper sliding free. The tease of his tongue running along her lower lip. Hand moved into her hair, pulling her head away from the door and into him. Crushing her mouth, tongue plunged past her lips. The bindings he'd brought drifting to the floor, forgotten.

Breath came in ragged heaves now. His body was pressed hers against the wood, mouth no longer hesitant. Now it was insistent, aggressive.

Bulk that pinned her gave her no room to move. A thrill as his lips crushed hers, stealing her breath. Also a small touch of fear. Would he take what he wanted like the others, without regard to her own wishes or desires? Yes, they had sent her to the field to seduce. Expected her to use whatever means necessary to get what was asked of her. That, however, was nothing more than a lie. A game to be played behind a mask of control. An _illusion_ of feeling. The others, from before, had always used force. This was different though. Honest. Suddenly she wanted to feel him over her. Feel his hands against her skin. With a sudden jolt she realized she wanted him a way she had never wanted anyone before. In a way she thought was merely myth. In a way she had told herself for years didn't exist. The whispers of the other girls had given hints. This though... _bozhe moi_... if this what was they were speaking of, she finally understood.

But would he take no for an answer if she decided she didn't? Natalia didn't know. He was a man, a man they controlled. For all she knew he was here under orders.

His mouth though, oh but his mouth was perfect against her own. When it left her she cried out softly, hands moving to his waist, clutching at his shirt. Was this it? Had she failed some kind of test?

Before she could ask he rested his head against the door next to her own. His hand hadn't moved from her hair but the grip had become more gentle than before. Her own chest heaving, it took a moment for her to realize his was doing the same.

"I'm not supposed to want you." Another statement. This one tinged with confusion. "But I do. God help me I do."

Fingers were hesitant as they stepped up his chest lightly. Talia wasn't sure she understood still. What had brought him here this evening? Face pressed into her hair. Hot breath on her neck intensified sensitivity along her body. As if sensing it, his mouth was there, teeth grazing skin as he moved across the slope.

There was a burning need she couldn't ignore rising up inside of her. A need she didn't quite understand. She didn't want him to stop. Fingers dug into his chest, hesitation rapidly flying out the window. The thin straps of the nightgown were moved gently down as his mouth moved across her shoulders now, kissing each inch as he went. More gently then she would have thought possible for the man. Lips were easy against her skin, teeth skimming flesh here and there, shooting lighting down into her core.

Hands followed the straps down, pushing them completely off her arms until the fabric rested at her waist. Gliding back up, they caressed her shoulders, his eyes meeting hers directly for the first time since he arrived. What exactly was he doing to her? Was this how people normally felt when someone touched them?

Goosebumps rose on her skin, his mouth now blazing a line down to her exposed breasts. A moan tore itself from her throat and he quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"They can't hear us," he insisted adamantly.

Somewhere in her head she knew this. But his mouth, his hands, pushed every thought out of her head except what he was doing to her. Everything except what her body was feeling.

Slowly he let go and returned his attention to her nipples. Pulling one into his mouth then the other. Body arched against him without her knowledge, craving more, needing more from him. Cloth of his shirt rough against her skin when she pressed into him. A sharp contrast from the gentleness of his touch. Hands went to his shoulders, gripping tightly, not caring if she hurt at this point. All she knew was that she wanted something she couldn't quite define.

When he finally released her now aching breasts, he went to his knees on front of her. Hands, one calloused, one metal, made their way down her body to her hips. Gripping them tightly he jerked her forward, tongue teasing a path along her skin to her navel. Moving from his shoulders to his hair, fingers ran into the faintly damp strands, holding tightly.

Nightgown was worked down her hips, tongue and mouth following each inch that was freed until they reached her panty line. Fabric was left on the floor and instantly forgotten, hands sliding down her legs then up again to grasp her hips firmly.

A soft cry at the motion. She stood before him in nothing but plain white cotton panties. She should be nervous. Maybe even ashamed. But she wasn't. More than anything she wanted to feel his skin against hers, feel his body heat rolling across her skin. Feel him fill the empty ache between her legs that he created.

"Shh," he whispered against her skin. Hooking fingers into the white cotton he pulled them down slowly, leaving them with the rest when they reached the floor.

Natalia stepped out of them as he nudged her legs open. When his tongue reach out, tasting her, she gasped, tingling bolts shot down her legs making her knees weak. Hands pulled in his hair in surprise.

"Oh," she managed as a strangled sound when his tongue probed deeper, flicking against her, making her legs jerk. No one had ever touched her in such away. No one had ever made her knees weak. No one had ever made her want them to keep going.

And she desperately wanted him to keep going. When he pushed forward, face against the soft red curls of her sex she couldn't stop either the moan that escaped her, or her knees from buckling.

He caught her by the hips, holding her against the door, not allowing her to fall. Another taste of her center before he rose, still supporting her.

"No," Talia whimpered when he stopped. Why did he stop? Her mind was whirring, thoughts and the feel of his touch overwhelming her.

Pushing her against the door with his body once again, fingers spread her apart and plunged into the wetness. Mouth crushed against hers while fingers circled her, never quite penetrating where she now desperately wanted him to go.

Legs jerked every time he circled. When he eased away from her she felt her knees threaten to give out. Hands went to his shoulders when she wobbled. Almost immediately she felt herself rise as he scooped her up and carried her to the small bedroom. Door closed with a foot behind him and in a few steps he was at her small bed. Somehow all the aches and pains from their previous encounter seemed to have disappeared.

Carefully he set her down in the middle of the bed. He paused, looking at her for a beat before kissing his way up her body. Mouth stopped at her sex, sucking her in. Hips rose off the bed as fingers dug into the sheets. What was he doing to her? How could sex feel like this? The thought circled her brain over and over again. Sensation drove every other thought from her head. Arms hooked under her legs and around her hips, drawing her closer.

Another cry pulling from her lips. The bedroom afforded them some privacy but not enough. But she couldn't help it, they came through no willful intent of her own. He was driving her body to the brink of something she hadn't even known existed. The sounds falling from her before she knew they were happening.

There was a rhythm to his movements now. Up her entire core, circle, nip, then back down. There was something building. She could feel it in her belly and lower. Feel it in the electricity that pulled her legs with small spasms and jerks.

When the wave crashed over her she tried to pull away, unsure exactly what was happening. But he held on, her body twitching around him as he continued. A wordless cry of pleasure that she couldn't stop even if she had tried. Her whole focus was centered around where his mouth moved. Panting breaths didn't slow even when the spasms did. Leisurely he kissed his way up her body, her breasts sucked into his mouth briefly before he was over her.

Leaning upwards, pressing her lips to his, she felt his hesitation. Did she do something wrong? Everything in her body had been out of her control. She broke away, the taste of herself registering only slightly. He was the first person to ever use his mouth on her body, to push it until that wave hit. The only one who ever seemed to want to give her any kind of pleasure. To make her understand sex could be pleasurable. Not just some kind of duty.

"I'm sorry -," she started only to be cut off by another kiss. This one softer than the ones before it. Lips moved against hers, teasing, gentle, as if understanding she needed a minute for her body to come down what he had done to her. His body was held over hers and she could feel him straining against his pants. All of him was hard against her, pressing her down into the mattress.

He was still fully clothed and when she pulled at the bottom of his shirt, her hands pressing into the flesh of his low back, he kissed her harder, growling low in his throat. Lips traveled to her neck and across her collarbone. When he shifted so he was pressed against her side, she protested.

He kissed it away while his free hand, the real one, trailed down her body and back up. Random patterns on her skin, lines of liquid fire following in the wake. When he dipped past her belly and into her folds her hips rose to meet him. Once again he began to circle her most sensitive area. Breath hitched each time he hit it just right, legs twitched in time with it.

Still, that empty ache inside of her.

"I need-," she started, unsure of what it was or how to say it. Completely unprepared for the feelings he had invoked in her or the sensations that were overwhelming her senses.

But she didn't need to ask. Before she could think of what to say a finger pressed slowly inside of her. Body arched off the bed the same time her exclamation of pleasure tore itself from her mouth. She felt it as he pushed deep until he had no more room.

In response he leaned up, kissing her, swallowing her cries as his finger worked in and out of her carefully. Her whimpers and moans came with greater frequency. Thumb circled her, finger sliding against another sensitive place inside of her. Mouth never left hers, taking the sounds as she gave them. Whole body began to shudder arching tightly against the rising torrent happening inside her own body. It exploded over her like a barrage of fireworks. Sound now incapable of leaving her, his kiss become gentler. Lips left hers as she gasped and she felt his face press against her neck. She would swear he was smiling.

His movements became slower, bringing her down step by step. When her body had no more to give she opened her eyes, unaware until then that she had closed them. This was more than she ever dared to imagine. More than she ever dreamed. But despite the two thundering orgasms he'd just given her, she still felt there was more, there was something she was missing. A way to somehow make it complete.

He rose, pulling away from her causing her to reach for him.

"If I don't go now," he admitted softly, "I won't be able to leave. To stop."

"I don't want you to go." Had she ever said such a thing to someone before? Talia didn't think so.

Another kiss and a hand stroked her cheek. "They'll notice I'm gone soon."

That was true. While she enjoyed a certain amount of freedom to come and go around the compound as she wanted when not required to be someplace else, he did not. Normally they kept him on a tight leash and she couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten away from them long enough to be here.

There was something building between them. Something she had thought all but impossible. Maybe he had too. But the look on his face told her he believed it now.

A last kiss then he left her bed without a word, not hesitating when he left, not looking back. Natalia's body felt heavy, her limbs almost too cumbersome to move. She still felt incomplete, empty again now that he was gone. And confused. With a sigh she pulled the sheet aside to slide under it, not willing to get up and retrieve the nightgown she'd been wearing before he came.

What would happen now? She didn't know. But her thoughts were only of him as she drifted to sleep.


End file.
